Karnataka: Sakrebyle Elephant Camp temporarily closed after Dubare tragedy
Shivamogga: The Sakrebyle Elephant Camp near Shivamogga has been temporarily closed to tourists following the recent tragic incident at the Dubare Elephant Camp in Madikeri district in Karnataka, where a woman lost her life during a clash between two captive elephants, authorities stated on Wednesday. Sadly, one of the captive elephants, Marthanda also succumbed to his injuries later.
As a precautionary measure, authorities have completely prohibited tourist entry to the Sakrebyle camp until new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are implemented.
Initially, only activities such as elephant bathing and direct interaction with the elephants had been banned at the camp, while tourists were still allowed to view the elephants from a distance. However, officials have now decided to suspend all visitor access to prevent any untoward incidents.
Authorities said the restrictions would remain in force until revised safety guidelines and SOPs are put in place.
Located near Gajanur in Shivamogga taluk, along the backwaters of the Tunga reservoir, the Sakrebyle Elephant Camp is a popular tourist destination that attracts visitors from across Karnataka for elephant interaction.
It may be recalled that as a tragic outcome of the fight between two elephants, S. Junese, a tourist from Tamil Nadu, was killed on Monday.
Meanwhile, following the death of the 33-year-old woman tourist from Chennai in the incident involving the clash between the captive elephants, authorities have closed the Dubare Elephant Camp. Tourist entry into the camp has been completely prohibited in the wake of the incident.
Her husband, Joyal, sustained severe injuries in the incident and has been shifted to the Kushalnagar Government Hospital for treatment.
According to police, the couple had arrived at the Dubare Elephant Camp on Monday morning. They initially got photographs taken with the trained elephants. Later, they ventured into the waterbody along with other tourists while the elephants were being taken for a bath by the mahouts. The tourists were also participating in cleaning and bathing the elephants.
While the tourists were engaged in the activity, two captive elephants, Marthanda and Kanjan, suddenly started fighting with each other. Despite repeated attempts by the mahouts to control them, the elephants continued fighting.
During the commotion, Marthanda reportedly fell on S. Junese, killing her on the spot and seriously injuring her husband. Fellow tourists and authorities rescued the couple from the water body and shifted them to the hospital.
Elephant Marthanda, which had sustained severe injuries during the clash with another captive elephant, Kanjan, succumbed to its injuries on Tuesday.
Sources said that Marthanda sustained severe internal injuries after collapsing during the attack and being unable to get up. The elephant was reportedly attacked continuously for nearly 15 minutes. Veterinarians treating Marthanda stated that the excessive loss of blood is suspected to have severely affected the functioning of its heart.